KARYOTYPIC CONVERSION BY INTERFERON AS PREPARATIVE TREATMENT FOR AUTOLOGOUS BMT IN PH POSITIVE CML

This is an interim report of the Roferon A/ABMT protocol by ICSG on CM L aimed at investigating the feasibility and potential of combining tr eatment with alpha-IFN with ABMT in Ph+ CML. Of 675 Ph+ CML patients r ecruited between January 1989 and January 1991 by 44 Italian instituti ons, 398 were 55 or less years old and eligible for the protocol. Of 1 32 patients who completed IFN treatment 118 had evaluable karyotype; o f these only 48 showed >25% Ph-metaphases and were eligible for BM har vest. In 24 patients BM was collected and 13 were submitted to ABMT. T he major causes of drop out from the protocol were shift to allogeneic BMT, accelerated blastic phase, patient refusal and logistic problems . Data on hematologic reconstitution are presently available in 11 pat ients: Neutrophils were >0.5 x 10(9)/l in 23 days (median), (range 16- 40 days); platelets reached 50 x 10(9)/l in 28 days (median), (range 2 5-100 days). One patient had a very delayed BM take and was rescued wi th autologous peripheral blood stem cells collected at diagnosis.